I am in literal AWE of this book. I didn’t realise that Sarah Ready was making a sequel to the first book, but I’m so glad she did.

Josh and Gemma’s story did not go in the direction I had expected it, but I think that’s what made me love this book so much. This book isn’t the conventional romance. The characters go through real struggles, real emotions, real complexities…it’s simply stunning in the most basic of words.

My god! The emotions that the characters, and, in turn, the reader feels are so profound and raw. Ready highlighted the challenges involved with infertility, miscarriage and IVF in her last book. This book took Pre-Eclampsia/ Eclampsia and brought it to centre stage. It’s a frighteningly common condition that happens to pregnant women and the risks to the woman’s overall health can be life changing.

Normally a happily ever after kind of ending is just simply a nice touch for a romance novel, but this book…I was desperate to see what the ending would be.

As it was last time, the writing was phenomenal. Amongst the very sad turmoil moments, there’s were parts that made me laugh out loud. There were parts were I scoffed in outrage and also parts where I blushed due to the steamy intimacy. I admire Ready so much for how she can provoke such a spectrum of feeling within her readers.

If there’s ever a series you should read, it should be these books.

As someone who did not read the first book, I didn’t know what to expect from this one. However, I was pleasantly surprised. Although it is technically a sequel, this book almost reads as a stand-alone which is an aspect that I love. A great way to continue the story after an initial ‘happily ever after’ without undoing the development established in book 1. The plot is equal parts emotional and heartwarming, despite feeling slow at times. The characters are likeable and the relationship between the two main characters is well developed.

Overall an enjoyable read.

3.25-3.5 Stars

Not as good as the first one. The first novel gave me Bridget Jones's Diary vibes and it was hilarious. This one didn't feel as necessary nor did it offer anything new. It has the same formula as most rom-com and I'm looking for something more as an avid reader.

Overall, decent read but nothing mind-blowing. If you're new to rom-com, then give this novel a try.

*Can be read as a standalone.*

***I would like to thank NetGalley, Sarah Ready (the author), and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for graciously sending me the audiobook to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***

I absolutely loved Josh and Gemma Make A Baby so I was excited to see there was a sequel but also a bit worried that it wouldn't live up to the first book because I didn't feel that it needed a sequel to feel complete. I was sadly right about this because I didn't want this as much as I was hoping. I did enjoy it for the most part, but the beginning of the book really dragged for me. I think that the first book would have been better as a standalone to be honest. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGallery and Swift and Lewis Publishing for the advanced audiobook in exchange for my honest review. Thank you to Sarah Ready for bringing Josh and Gemma back to me. I found this a hard book to read because it was so emotional for me.. I just want Josh and Gemma to be together and it was so hard to see them struggle but so worth it. I love that Gemma’s mom was more developed in this story I actually liked her this go around. I do recommend reading the first book before jumping into this one. I just adore these character and would read more if it were published.

Cute story about what love really means and how it's shared among partners, with a twist of what happens when one partner hits a drastic change?

Gemma and Josh are in for a surprise when Gemma collapses mid wedding with preeclampsia. Months later, Gemma revives but because of the coma, she is considered having a major brain event, which challenges the way she can understand the world. She can no longer multitask, handle bright lights or lots of stimulation but hardest of all, she doesn't feel emotion as she once did and this is what spells problems for Josh. What do you do when your fiance says she can't feel love?
Through healing measures of family, friendship, and therapy, the story is a sweet exploration of what makes people who they are, and how to find each other where they are.
#netgalley
#arc
#joshandgemmathesecondtimearound

I liked Josh and Gemma Make a Baby so I was pleasantly surprised to discover this sequel. Unfortunately, this second book doesn’t have the same charm as the first. It spends way too much time on antagonist Ian and not nearly enough on Gemma and Josh rebuilding their relationship, or Gemma bonding with her baby. The pacing also felt rushed in terms of Gemma’s recovery and how few days pass after the incident. Erin Mallon is a good narrator, and there are some cute moments, but this book just felt unnecessary.

4.5 stars

Meeting Josh and Gemma again in 'The Second Time Around' provides some opportunity to experience their humourous banter again but this novel is more than another romcom.

It still has a definite romcom vibe but this novel has more substance than their previous novel.

Quite how the idea of this book came to fruition I don't know, but it's worth the time it'll take to navigate your way through the twists and turns that result in this, sometimes, frustratingly vague novel.

Have no fear though the questions that you'll undoubtedly have will all be answered.

En route you should be prepared for a whole slew of emotions though as you'll laugh out loud, cry your eyes out, go red with rage and just a touch pink from embarrassment ...to name just a few.

Once again Erin Mallon performs the audio expertly, bringing all the characters to life, making the experience more like a movie reel.

3.5. I loved Josh & Gemma book one… this one was tough for me. Very stressful. There was a lot of miscommunication, and even though there was a good reason for it, it was tough to enjoy this one as much as I would have liked to.

But it did have a good ending, which brought the rating a bit higher for me.

Great audiobook narration.

Thank you to Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing for the advance ebook & audio galleys.

The prologue was rough…. But then, Josh and Gemma’s story begins as they being preparation for their wedding. There were a few times that I thought that I missed something:, but by the end, the story wrapped up nicely. Ian, who is a total protagonist, lends a great deal of humor with his one-liners. Not everything is as it seems, and it was fun listening to the story evolve. . There were some seriously steamy moments, but they added to the love story of Josh and Gemma. The narrator was wonderful!

Josh and Gemma decide it’s time to get married prior to the arrival of their baby there’s just 1 little bump in the road (Punn intended) Gemma is in a coma and josh needs to figure out how to get her back. After Gemma’s coma she woke up 3 months later feeling nothing. Josh made a promise to always continue to push through and get her back. Just when you thought they reached the end of the road Gemma realizes her love for josh.

Josh and Gemma make a baby was one of my favorite books that I read in 2022. I thought the ending was absolutely perfect. Before reading this book I had a lot of high expectations for it.
Josh and Gemma the second time around fell a bit flat for me. Unfortunately, I don't think that this book was necessary to continue Josh and Gemma's story.
I will forever recommend Josh and Gemma make a baby.
2.5 stars out of 5 stars. ⭐️
Thank you to Swift & Lewis LLC for an audiobook arc.

I LOVED this book. I never knew about the first one in this series and I'd never heard of this author before. This can definitely be read as a standalone. I expected this to be an average romcom (because sadly lately I've stumbled on to many of those). It was NOT what I expected. The twists and turns alone are reason enough to read this book but from a "Romance" genre perspective, the author tears your heart out and puts it back together very slowly, while you hold your breath. Excellent read! I'm going to look for more from this author!

The first bit of the book dragged on. I think maybe I lost some substance of the book, due to coming in on the 2nd book, not knowing there was a first book. The characters didn't really mesh well for me so I was kind of put off on this one. The second half of the book was alot better with things blending well. I think I would've enjoyed it more if I read the first book first, which I haven't. This just didn't grasp me and I couldn't really get into the characters as much as I'd like to.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publishers to read and review. All of the statements above are my true opinions after fully reading this book.

I really enjoyed the banter, humor, and good time that was Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around, unfortunately, did not have the same vibe.

The premise sounded awesome - a sequel about what comes after the happily ever after - and I expected that it would be about what comes after for Gemma and Josh. Sadly, it was mostly about recovering from a traumatic brain injury and Ian Fortune. That angle did not work for me, the romance was nonexistent, and I just found it largely disappointing and pretty depressing. The best part of this audiobook was Erin Mallon's narration. My suggestion? Read the first book, and let that HEA be it.

Thank you to Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC and NetGalley for providing me with an advance listeners copy to review!

I adored Josh and Gemma Make a Baby and was thrilled to learn there was a sequel. While it's the same characters it doesn't have the feel of the first book at all. The banter is gone and Josh and Gemma hardly have anything to do with each other throughout the story. Sadly, this wasn't what I was looking for in a sequel. The narrator did a great job and hopefully Sarah Ready will give us more books like Josh and Gemma Make a Baby.

Enjoyed the audio and read along with the e-arc.
The only thinks that would throw me off is when the male voices were read. But that a more personal preference than it being a bother.

All in all I enjoyed having an audio to listen to.

2.5 stars. I LOVED Josh and Gemma Make a Baby. This was a fine sequel, but it really wasn’t needed. I am going to pretend this book doesn’t exist.

Thanks to NetGalley for an advanced audiobook copy.

I liked the narrator and the story was very interesting.

After absolutely loving Josh and Gemma Make a Baby, I was very excited to be granted access to the ARC of Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around. The second installment in Josh and Gemma's story, while enjoyable and entertaining, was IMHO not as funny and I had to get over significant disbelief at one point to continue reading.

The book starts with Gemma about 8 months pregnant, and the couple preparing for their wedding. When disaster strikes and their future is in jeopardy, Josh and Gemma face challenges to their storybook ever-after that seem insurmountable.

I enjoyed the re-introduction of Ian Fortune, and getting to know a bit of his backstory--is he really as self-centered and just plain awful as he seems? His character added a much-needed element to the story. (spoiler alert) I struggled with Gemma's recovery, as it seemed to be unrealistically quick and easy. Ian and his antics at the rehab facility allowed me to move beyond this and continue to enjoy the story.

I listened to the audio version, with narrator Erin Mallon who is excellent as the reader of the Josh and Gemma books. Her voice interpretation of Ian and Josh are wonderful. The only issue with audio, is that I needed to mute the spicy scenes when others were present!

Thank you to Netgalley and Swift & Lewis Publishing LLC for the ARC audiobook of Josh and Gemma the Second Time Around. The opinions in this review are my own.